1986 Sea Ray 39 Foot Sedan Bridge Reviews

Sea Ray 39 Express

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Nosotros'll start by proverb that we basically like this gunkhole. Its been produced in various incarnations since 1983 and is the large blood brother to the 36 Express with little difference other than size. Simply we'll likewise say that they come with some maddening faults that prevent usa from giving information technology a solid four star rating.

As will all boats that are produced over a long period of time, you expect that nearly of the bugs will get worked out over the years, yet in reality, this is rarely the case for some builders. A lot of faults that yous volition find in a 1984 model you won't discover in a 1992 model, but at that place are enough of them remaining to make you wonder why, since they'd be and then like shooting fish in a barrel to right.

The interior layout is bully, and we like the fact that it is easy to move around in this boat without always bumping into things. The traffic lane from the cockpit through the motel is very good for agile people who move around a lot, which is one of the great features of the express design. You lot don't feel worn out afterward a day of a lot of climbing around. The "slap-up cabin" layout is good for the very sociable types who don't desire a lot of privacy. On a rainy day, you tin can actually spend some time inside without feeling claustrophobic with cabin fever. In the s, this is overnice for merely getting out of the heat and spending some time in air conditioning.

Four people tin actually cruise for a while on this one without existence in each other's confront all the time, despite the lack of private cabins. Yes, in that location are ii staterooms, just a better descriptive adjective might exist "sleeping space." The head compartment is just a tad small, loosing a lot to the shower stall.

The quality on this i, as we complained in our intro, ranges from good to poor, depending on where you're looking. In the later models it got quite a bit better than the 80's models, but in that location are still a lot of weaknesses. Start with the windshields and motel windows that leak excessively. On the earlier models, the water leaks in and goes into the sunken expanse of the musical instrument panel and thence downwardly into the motel beneath, often causing a lot of damage, fifty-fifty to the refrigerator. These leaks are extremely frustrating and patently impossible to stop, for just about every 1 nosotros see

On later models, in a driving rain or a lot spray, nosotros ordinarily find a lot of water sloshing around up nether the windshield, soaking everything you put up there. The forward opening side vents don't help this any.

Early models accept a lot of mica on plywood cockpit panels that rot badly, including wood seating units. On later models much of this was replaced with more than durable materials. But to our liking, in that location'southward nonetheless also much vinyl upholstery and besides much plastic. A lot of plush ordinarily translates to a lot of not durable materials.

The engine compartment and what'south under the cockpit is a real sore spot. The layout down below is very poor.  You'll find generators sitting nearly on the bottom of the hull and all rusted up because they're constantly getting wet. You are forced to stand up in the bilge where yous tin can slip in the oily water and hurt yourself. The stuffing boxes have no splash guards and commonly throw water all over, damaging nearby electric apparatus. Since the centerline generator blocks your access to the aft bilge area, you usually have to move a very heavy rear seat to open the hatch where, once once again, in that location's nowhere to stand up  except in the bilge water.

On some earlier models  nosotros've found stringer movement that has disturbed the fuel tank mountings. Nosotros've institute fractured tank beds and cleaved hold downwards straps, although no fractured aluminum tanks yet. This is something that you want to await at closely. These large fly tanks strength the location of the frazzle pipe into the central spaces where you don't want them and they get in the manner of servicing but about everything.  And the big, cannister style mufflers don't help. This is a gunkhole that should take fiberglass centerline tanks which would turn the engine room into a do-it-yourselfer's dream. Instead, the inability to reach things means that things don't become serviced, and is one of the reasons we find and so many of these boats with very poor maintenance.

When we find floor frames breaking apart like this, its usually an indication that all is non well. Namely that at that place is excessive flexing in the hull structure.

A lot of builders just don't give a darn almost serviceability, but they should realize that how their boats await 5 or 10 years later deterimines what knowledgable people think about them. Things like this establish reputations, and Sea Ray has never been very skillful in this regard.

Sea Ray's continued insistence on using plastic through hulls and cleap plastic hoses has sunk a lot of their boats. As the cheap plastic ages, it becomes brittle and fractures.  Further, these hoses usually aren't supported, a cistron which speeds the breakage process. At that place is no excuse for this nonsense, nonetheless they continue to practise it.

Performance is a mixed bag. With the propeller pockets you get a real shoal draft, but at a big cost in performance. Coming in at around 17,000 lbs. this is a very calorie-free boat for its size. Compare this with the Bertram 38 II Special at 29,000 lbs and y'all see why in that location should be no operation problems. Yet the propeller pockets stand her up on hind legs while getting up on plane, which takes far as well long, while you tin't run into where yous're going merely looking at the fore deck. We typically find Cat 375's or Mercruiser 454's in these boats. With the diesels, in one case she's upward and running she'south okay, but it definitely needs trim tabs to do it. With the gas engines, nosotros think its underpowered and wouldn't have one.

While the deep propeller pockets gives a very shallow draft, information technology comes at a steep price in functioning.

This eary model 39 had an angled bulkhead which broke loose, causing fractures in the hull sides. The white dust is ground fiberglass from extreme working of a bulkhead adrift. Installing a bulkhead on an bending is guaranteed to do this, so where are the engineers?

Slow speed steering is terrible and she wanders effectually and tracks poorly at idle speeds, causing you to constantly oversteer through all those no wake zones. And while we had no trouble docking, operating boats is something we do every day. Only a lot of owners accept trouble. Rather agreeable to lookout at a crowded gas dock on Saturday morning.

This hull shape, equally shallow as it is, unquestionably is a off-white atmospheric condition sailor. The depth between water line and keel at the stern is but 18", astonishing for a 39 foot boat. Out on the stream with 3 footers rolling, she comes to a grinding halt unless you want to bash her to pieces. She'due south okay for big trophy and the like, merely we wouldn't even consider information technology for cruising the Commonwealth of the bahamas.

Overall, these boats hold up better than nosotros'd look. But its the kind of faults cited to a higher place that keep these boats dogged down in the nearly entry-level category. Sea Ray ought to get rid of some of the bad hair 24-hour interval types, pick themselves up past the boot straps and give Hatteras and Tiara a run for their money. It would cost them very little  to transform this level of quality from something surveyors oftentimes snicker most, to something they'd take no problem recommending to clients. With an additional $2,000 per boat in extra engineering and a trivial  materials, we could easily transform the 39 Express into a rock solid yacht.

Stretching their dollars to get the biggest they can beget, most buyers are forced into this kind of selection. Its not necessarily a bad one, only in our view, not a very good ane either. In this used boat category (casual cruising or serious partying), nosotros'd be forced to consider it besides. Its a great cocktail excursion cruiser,  but if you have to go when the wind blows, ameliorate consider something else.

Frankly, we reluctantly give her three stars. So close only so far. Whether the expert outweighs the bad ultimately comes down to personal preferences and we'll give information technology the benefit of the doubt.

Rating:

David Pascoe - Biography

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Source: https://www.yachtsurvey.com/boatreviews/SeaRay39.htm

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